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If you’re looking to capture the magic of those halcyon days of sitting in front of the CRT with a classic RPG, then Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, which launches tomorrow — 14th November 2024 — on Switch and other systems, might be just the tonic you need.
Reviews for the HD-2D remake of the NES’s Dragon Warrior III have dropped today, and they’re very positive across the board. It manages to recreate the feel of the original game while adding some beautiful visuals, music, and a handful of quality-of-life features to the experience.
We’re among those positive reviews here at Nintendo Life, awarding the game an 8/10. And even with performance issues on Switch, “this is a faithful adaptation of a treasured RPG classic that elevates its strongest aspects while doing its best to make up for any shortcomings”.
What did others think of it, though? Well, let’s start with our sister site Push Square, which also awarded the game an 8/10, calling it “a powerfully nostalgic rebuild of a true classic”, even if the game could have gone a bit further in the “remake” department:
“With its quality of life additions and delightful 3D visuals, it’s easy to argue that this is the adventure’s definitive form — even if some of its structural weaknesses remain in place.”
What about more Switch impressions, though? Nintendo World Report loved the game, scoring it a 9/10, giving praise to the game’s ageless feel, timeless appeal, and beautiful visuals:
“It’s wild to me how this NES RPG made in the 1980s holds up as well as it does more than 35 years later. Even wilder is how this fancypants remake is far more light-touch than I expected. This is more or less the same game from 1988, just with modern bells and whistles. It’s a smart, brilliant remake that carries forth the original masterpiece while not truly feeling dated.”
Another glowing review comes from RPGFan, which gave the game (the PS5 version) a 90/100, lavishing praise on the looks and the nostalgic feel of the remake. They call it a “triumph” and “the best new entry point” in the franchise [full disclosure, this author is a former writer at RPGFan]:
“It took all the simplicity, all the purity of Dragon Quest III and maintained it while adding a layer of beautiful graphics, a soaring symphonic arrangement of the soundtrack, and enough quality-of-life updates that probably could have helped me keep up with the original all those years ago.”
Noisy Pixel calls Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake the “definitive version” of the game, scoring it an 8/10. One particular aspect of the game the outlet highlights is the exploration, but it’s also critical of the high encounter rate:
“The world map of this entry expands upon its foundations, with countless secret areas and collectibles strewn about. You have more incentive than ever to explore the world map at your leisure, and it’s practically always worthwhile.”
Back to the Switch reviews, DigitalTrends gave the game an 8/10. That retro feel is once again praised, but with some added caveats on difficulty. Plus, given how modern RPGs are structured, this game’s approach feels refreshing::
“In fact, this is probably the most authentic remake I’ve seen in recent years. It kept close to the original vision that’ll keep veterans happy while adding in just enough sensibilities for modern audiences.”
Last up is Eurogamer, which scored the remake a 3/5. The outlet praises the visuals and the exploration, but like Noisy Pixel, criticises the high encounter rate and feels it could have been modernised a bit more:
“That sense of retaining its history is both the game’s blessing and its curse. For every change that enhances the original, there are points where it hasn’t evolved enough and ends up holding itself back in the process. There’s still a good game to be discovered here, and if you’ve played the original, you’ll undoubtedly enjoy this new remake.”
So, overall, it sounds like Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is a hit. The game is currently sitting at an 81 on Metacritic on Switch (based on 17 reviews), with PS5 getting the most reviews (34) and sitting at an average of 85. On Opencritic, which curates reviews for all platforms under one average, the game is on an average of 84.
Don’t forget, Famitsu also published its review of Dragon Quest III, and it awarded the game a 35/40. It’s a beloved game in Japan, so we’re not surprised to see it score well there. But don’t forget, if you’re grabbing the remake of this 36-year-old game and plan on streaming it, Square Enix has issued some bizarre guidelines.
Are you getting Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake on Switch? Have you played the game before? Let us know in the comments.